Xevious (ゼビウス, Zebiusu) is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in December 1982. It runs on Namco Galaga hardware, and was designed by Masanobu Endō (who later created The Tower of Druaga). In North America, the game was manufactured and distributed by Atari, Inc.. In Brazil, the arcade cabinet was printed with the name of "COLUMBIA" for the game, while the software still showed the original title of "Xevious".
The player must use an 8-way joystick to pilot a combat aircraft called a Solvalou, which is armed with a forward-firing Zapper for aerial targets and a Blaster which fires an unlimited supply of air-to-surface bombs for ground targets. The game, presumably set in Peru, was notable for the varied terrain below, which included forests, airstrips, enemy bases, and mysterious Nazca Lines-like drawings on the ground.
There are various aerial enemy aircraft which fire relatively slow-moving bullets at the player, as well as (presumably unpiloted) fast-moving projectiles and exploding black spheres. Ground enemies are a combination of stationary bases and moving vehicles, most of which also fire slow-moving bullets at the player. Giant floating Andor Genesis motherships appear in certain areas; these must be defeated by knocking out their cores, and are considered one of the first level bosses to be incorporated into a video game.
Super Xevious (スーパーゼビウス, Sūpā Zebiusu) is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Galaga hardware, and as its name suggests, it is the sequel to Xevious (which was released two years earlier). It was later ported to the Sharp X68000 in 1987, and was also included in the compilation game Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1, as well as Xevious 3D/G+ and Namco Museum DS.
The gameplay is very much like that of the original Xevious except this time it is a little more difficult. Several new enemies have also been introduced (including a silver Galaxian flagship, a rare silver Galaga "scorpion" ship, two jet planes, a helicopter, and a dark yellow Tank Battalion tank). Some of these enemies will reset the player's score back to 0 if they are destroyed - and the hidden "Sol Citadel" towers and Rally-X Special Flags are also located in different places.
The game was re-released as Xevious 2 by Spotlight Software and distributed by Cinemaware in the compilation BrainBlasters with Bombuzal for the Amiga. This compilation was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #165 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave BrainBlasters 5 out of 5 stars.
You were the last I tell myself
The last of those I robbed of health
I doubt myself my restraint
Can I live without your pain?
Prominently on display in my living room
Stuffed and treated, none could assume
That I'm a fucking psycho, polishing my trophies
Casually glancing as they decay slowly
Possessed by their glazed eyes and their pale cold lips
Each room macabre
For some too much
My collection complete
My purpose obsolete
Would you believe
I still feel the need
To disembowel those
Filled with greed
Maybe one more, her blood will stain my floor
Swept under the rug, beaten and drugged
Praying for mercy, this may be sloppy
Organs on display, I revel in the pain
Softly caress your heart in my hands